


You Can Kiss Me

by theosgood



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Oblivious Steve Rogers, clint and natasha play cupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 08:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theosgood/pseuds/theosgood
Summary: Clint Barton was not trying to play cupid.Nor did Natasha Romanoff.But those two simply did not cooperate.





	You Can Kiss Me

**Author's Note:**

> So I had no betas in this story and english is not my first language. Also I was feeling lazy and used a lot of google translate so sorry in advance I guess

“Is there something going on between you and Steve?”

The little screwdriver slipped from Tony’s hand, falling to the floor and vanishing in the workshop’s mess. He took a deep breath, counting to five and asking himself how the hell he hadn’t listen Clint coming into his precious work place. He turned the chair, facing the blonde man. Clint had cuts and bandages all over his body, and even though Tony knew that when he was not with the Avengers Hawkeye still did lots of missions for SHIELD, Tony had the feeling that most of his injuries happened because he was often careless.

“How did you get in here, Barton?”

“I used the Avengers access code.” the blonde man shrugged, sitting on an empty chair at the workshop, and Tony didn’t even know why he had one, since it could cause the misconception that he would enjoy to have visitors.

“JARVIS, block my workshop’s access through the Avengers code.” Tony eyes were still looking at Clint, watching his every moves and ready to start a fight in case Hawkeye was crazy enough to touch any of Tony’s stuff.

“I’m sorry, sir, but it’s not possible. Mrs. Potts ordered that every Avenger has full access to your workshop in case you forget about sleeping and eating regularly.”

“Write that down, JARVIS: I’ll give you to college students.” Tony sighed, almost forgetting about Clint. Again he looked at Hawkeye, who seemed about to touch one of his holograms. “Don’t. What do you want, Barton?”

“I want to know what’s going on between you and Steve. I told you that already.”

He and Steve? Seriously?

Not that this was a terrible idea or something like that. Tony did like Steve. They spent a lot of quality time together and, usually, it was really good. But even so one thing had no connection with the other.

“Nothing. You can go now.” He waved his hand, like someone saying ‘shoo’, clearly telling Clint to leave his workshop. But, if Clint gave up that easily, he wouldn’t be a super spy.

“I know something is going on. I’ve been watching you guys. You hang out together, don’t fight, laugh together…”

“We’re friends, Barton. I thought you guys would like seen Steve and me being so civilized?”

“Are you hooking up? With each other, I mean.”

“No. And even if we were it would be none of your business. Leave my workshop. Now.”

Tony watched as Clint left his workshop with a tiny smile on his face. Then Tony rolled his eyes, getting up and practically laying on the floor to search for his screwdriver so he could keep on his work. It took about thirty seven seconds for Tony to finally find it, standing up again and sitting in the comfortable chair, ready to go back to his work, hoping not to be interrupted again.

 

***

“Tony?”

Tony felt like it had passed just five minutes since Barton’s invasion when Steve’s voice startled him. His tiny screwdriver fell off once again, making him curse. What in ten hells was his teammates’ problem? Where did the urge for entering his workshop without knocking come from?

“What do you want, Steve?”

Unlike Barton, Steve was perfect, like someone carved in marble. The super soldier’s serum never allowed battle scratches and bruises to last more than a day on Steve’s skin. The Captain was used to take care of everyone, except himself. He was always the first one to jump in front of any teammate if it meant save his or hers life. That’s why Tony claimed that his perfection was the serum’s fault.

Clint’s question came back to Tony’s mind. Steve was one of the best people Tony had ever met. During his teenage he had been some kind of Captain America’s fan boy, and meeting him after all that time hadn’t change Tony’s mid in slightest. And no, nothing was ‘going on’ between him and Steve. But it wouldn’t be terrible if there was. Would it?

“I brought you dinner. You didn’t show up at the kitchen so…” looking shy Steve approached Tony, putting a small canister near him.

“Dinner? How long have I been here?” Tony wasted no time, opening his canister and grabbing a huge portion, finally noticing how hungry he was. Like any normal human being, he was used to forget about eating, of course. Totally normal.

“All day long? I’m not sure.” Steve sat at the same chair Clint had used earlier. “What have you been doing?”

“More and more improvements for Iron Man, of course” the engineer didn’t bother to finish chewing.

This moment was practically routine. Every week Tony got carried away by his projects, locking himself for hours and neglecting his basic needs. In those days Steve always brought him dinner, which he carefully prepared in the canister. Then, while Tony ate, Steve sat by his side and asked about Tony’s day. Tony knew he talked too much and used a lot of technical terms that Steve would not understand but Steve stayed by Tony’s side anyway, waiting until he was finished eating, pretending to be completely interested by the topic, whichever it was. Then, looking all innocence, Steve convinced Tony it was a great time to go to sleep.

And Tony always believed.

 

***

“Did you tell Tony?”

Natasha's voice sounded completely normal, even though she and Steve had been in the training room for over an hour, fighting each other, reviewing movements and flaws in their styles. Her red hair was fastened on a high ponytail which despite having a few strands out of place, remained firmly on the woman's head. Steve blond and sweaty strings were already attached to his forehead and neck, which reminded him that it was time for a haircut.

“No.” Steve's voice sounded normal too, even though he could feel his breathing less than normal.

He knew what Natasha meant. Almost a month ago, during a morning talk, she had asked him about his feelings for Tony. Steve had no reason to lie to the woman he regarded as a good friend. He knew that her ability to keep a secret was unique.

“Aren’t you going to tell him?” She tilted her head slightly to the left, swerving perfectly from the punch Steve had thrown toward her, turning to grasp the man's arm.

“I have no reason to.” If Steve had not been busy letting go of the Widow's grip, he would have shrugged.

“You know he feels the same way about you, don’t you? Clint asked him.”

“Clint did _what_?!” the new information was surprising enough to disturb Steve. His reflexes slowed, giving him no time to dodge the sharp punch Natasha threw in his direction and, of course, hit his nose.

“Steve!”

He closed his eyes, feeling his head begin to throb. He covered his nose and mouth with his right hand. He tried to squeeze them a little, make a tiny pressure, but the pain didn’t allow him to push hard enough. He felt Natasha's arms around him, beginning to guide him through the training room, and soon he was sitting on a bench, finally opening his eyes.

“What did Clint tell Tony?” He felt blood invade his mouth, making some syllables sound funny. If it wasn’t for the pain he'd laugh a little.

“Nothing much. He just asked what is going on between the two of you.” Natasha handed him a towel, which he promptly placed against his face. In a few minutes his nose would return to normal.

“Oh.” He knew he'd sounded disappointed, Natasha's expression only confirming that.

He was not sure what he would have preferred to hear. Maybe if Clint had told Tony how Steve really felt... He might still not be brave enough to talk about his feelings.

Steve didn’t know exactly when he had fallen in love with Tony, but it did happen, and since then he had been dealing with his feelings in silence. He liked their relationship. Steve always visited Tony in his workshop, pretending to be interested in whatever Stark was doing – and sometimes he really was. He always took Tony into Tony’s bedroom, forcing him to lie down and sleep. They went out for coffee together once in a while. Once Tony had even gone to an art show with Steve – and complained all the time, but Steve didn’t care.

Tony, however, had never given any sign of feeling for Steve anything but friendship. Honestly, Steve was okay with it. He liked to have the man around, even if it was only as a friend.

 

***

 

“Hey, Cap.” Tony's voice was neutral. Steve turned his head, watching as Tony pulled a chair closer to him, sitting up and giving him a lively smile.

“Why are you awake at this time?” Steve frowned, showing a small smile.

The sun was rising and a light breeze hit the Avengers Tower’s roof. Steve enjoyed to see the sun rise. The colors of the sky seemed even more beautiful and always gave him inspiration. Different from usual, Tony did not have his cell phone or Starkpad.

“I didn’t sleep?” The man looked at him uncertainly, as if he knew the answer might cause him trouble.

“Tony...”

“I know, I know. I should have slept, blah blah blah. I really tried, just– Steve, what happened to your nose?”

“Hmm?” Steve put his hand over his nose, worried. Everything seemed to be in order. “What about it?”

“It’s crooked.” Tony got closer to the man, examining him carefully.

“I got distracted during training with Natasha. But it’s alright. It is not crooked.”

“Yes it is. Just slightly, but it is.” Tony narrowed his eyes, still close to Steve, almost making both noses to touch. “Crooked enough for me to notice.”

“Since when do you have eidetic memory?” Steve laughed, pushing Tony away slightly.

Okay, he'd decided he was okay with being just friends with Tony, thank you very much, but he didn’t need to torture himself. Tony's closeness could sometimes feel like torture.

“I don’t. Unless it's about Steve Rogers.” The engineer moved away from the blonde with a convinced smile, leaning his back against his own chair again.

“Excuse me?” Steve laughed, knowing that this would be a bad time to blush. He could not let it show how embarrassed he was.

“It is true. I even know that your favorite ice cream flavor is pecan butter.”

Steve stopped laughing, his serious expression still turned in Tony's direction. He had never discussed his favorite ice cream flavor with anyone.

“I never told you that.”

“No, you didn’t. But I’m perceptive.” Tony shrugged. He clearly did not realize how important that small that detail was to Steve. “It's the one you always choose when we buy trash food. And even though you don’t eat that much sugar, you always eat the pot of butter pecan practically alone.”

“You are awesome.” Steve started to laugh, watching Tony’s smile.

“I try.”

At moments like that Steve really understood why he had fallen in love with the man in front of him.

 

***

 

“Tony?”

And the screwdriver hit the floor. Again.

Tony took deep breaths a few times, whirling around the chair and running into a guilty look on Steve’s face. The engineer narrowed his eyes, wishing he could curse Steve like he always did with Barton. But, of course, Tony would never be able to curse Steve, especially when he made those puppy eyes.

“JARVIS, please remind me to put a fucking bell on this fucking door.”

“Reminder added, Sir.”

“Sorry, Tony. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Steve bit his lips, looking at anything but Tony himself.

“It’s okay, Cap” the engineer sighed, telling Steve to get comfortable in his workshop with just a hand gesture. “What happened this time?”

“My drawing tablet it not working.” Still biting his lip, Steve approached Tony, holding out the black drawing tablet, not much bigger than a common tablet.

Tony curiously studied it. He remembered when he'd helped Steve to choose that drawing table. It should have been over a year, but even so the object seemed newly bought. Tony could not help but be impressed by the Captain's care for absolutely everything. He wasn’t the Avengers' leader for nothing.

He gestured for Steve to sit in that chair – which he still had to get out of there – and took the damn screwdriver from the floor. In a few seconds the drawing tablet was open at his desk. Identifying what was causing a defect had been easier than removing a few screws: a small fuse was burnt, one of the simplest, of which Tony owned thousands. A scramble here and there and he'd fixed Steve's drawing table.

“Here it is.” He held out the object to its owner, receiving a charming smile as thanks. “Although a new model has already been released. You could have just bought another, you know?”

“Thank you, but I quite like this one. And it’s in perfect shape now, thanks to you. I don’t have to spend money.”

“It was nothing.” Tony shrugged. It was true, he had absolutely no work. “I can give you a new one. Honestly.”

“You don’t have to. Really.” Steve shook his head, but the smile was still on his face. “My things can be fixed. I have a Tony, after all.”

“Oh, you have a Tony?” The engineer crossed his arms, raising only one eyebrow, making Steve laugh out loud, echoing through the workshop.

“Don’t I?” His blue eyes were uncertain, despite the smile that lingered on her lips.

Tony just stared at the man, not quite sure what to expect. He couldn’t understand how Steve could be so... Perfect. So mature and innocent at the same time. As a good engineer, genius and curious, Tony always felt the urge to figure out what the hell was going through Steve's head. Because ever since they had actually become friends, Steve was always there, next to Tony. And Tony knew that, most of the time, his company was not exactly the best in the Avengers Tower.

So why the hell did Steve insist on spending so much time with him?

“You can have a Tony, if you want. But it's a lot of bureaucracy, I don’t think it's worth it.” Tony shrugged, watching the Captain look away for a few seconds, his face slightly tilted to the left. “Hey, your nose is perfect again.”

“It was never crooked, Tony.” Steve rolled his eyes, facing the dark-haired man again.

“Yes, it was.”

Tony’s reached Steve’s face, touching him carefully. The engineer's thumb drawn a line in the Captain's white skin, running from his nose to his cheek, as if checking that the man's face was completely in place. And even after checking that everything was fine, Tony's hand remained on Steve's face.

And he knew why.

“Tony...”

Steve's left hand closed around Tony's wrist, but he did not try to push the engineer's hand away. Brown and blue eyes were facing each other. Steve should have pushed Tony away. Why hadn’t he pushed Tony away? Steve’s hand still held Tony’s fist, keeping the warm touch. It seemed like Steve didn’t want Tony to depart.

Steve's chest came up as he took a deep breath and leaned toward Tony.

And when Steve was so close that Tony could smell his toothpaste and see some small, almost imperceptible spots on his face, when Tony was so sure that Steve was going to kiss him, the Captain stopped.

Even though Tony had not moved a single inch, Steve had simply stopped. His blue eyes had closed, as if he was debating something internally. And then Steve simply let go of Tony's hand and pulled back, leaning back against the uncomfortable chair. All Tony could do was face the man in front of him, waiting for any reaction.

“I– I'm sorry. I– I better go– Sorry. Thank you.” Steve got up and without even looking back left the workshop.

Tony covered his face with both hands. For a few seconds he was sure Steve had been about to kiss him. But half way he just gave up.

Tony really wanted to know why.

 

***

 

“I hate being this person, but you look terrible, Steve.”

The man had barely noticed Natasha's presence. Maybe because the woman was really good at being sneaky. Or maybe it was because Steve was, in fact, in another world. He just could not focus on anything. He had no doubt that the woman had spoken the truth and that he was looking terrible.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” She sat next to him.

He took a deep breath, pondering whether or not he should open up.

Steve trusted Natasha with his own life, there was no doubt about it. She had been the first to hear about his feelings for Tony and she had never done anything but help him. His fearing of telling her had nothing to do with trust.

Steve was afraid that Natasha would say he was being stupid.

Since the day he'd almost kissed Tony, Steve didn’t feel able to look at the man's face. Tony had even tried to approach two or three times, but Steve simply could not face him. It was so shameful! He had almost kissed a person without consent!

Two weeks without being able to look at the man he considered his best friend. And for who he had been in love for so many months that he had honestly lost count.

“Steve...” Natasha sounded worried now. Because, of course, he had been too quiet for too long.

“I almost kissed Tony.” It was better to admit it at once. At least now he was taking that secret off his back. Even if the mistake remained, now he would no longer have to suffer in silence.

“You did what?!”

So he told her everything from his damn damaged drawing table until three days ago when Tony approached him in the kitchen to ask about something he did not even bother paying attention to, making up some excuse not to be in the man’s presence.

“Let me see if I got it right.” And here was Natasha's disapproval. Steve knew she would not be happy about the story. Maybe it had been better if he just kept quiet. “You're ignoring Tony after you almost kissed him.”

“It's one way of seeing things.” His voice was no more than a whisper, his lips barely moving.

“It's the _only_ way to see things, Rogers.” Rogers. She really was _not_ happy. “What did Tony do when you tried to kiss him?”

“Nothing. He just... Stand still. Watching me.” _Probably thinking I’m completely stupid_ , the man added to himself.

“How don’t you...” Natasha looked at him as if she really thought he was an idiot. She cut her own phrase at middle, breathing deeply and closing her eyes, seeming to beg patience from heavens. Steve would do the same if he were in her place. She opened her eyes, the determination so strong in her gaze that Steve could swear she would convince anyone that wasabi was not that strong. “You need to talk to him, Steve.”

Steve shook his head, denying it. That was completely out of question. He was not going to talk to Tony about how pathetic he was by thinking it might be a good idea to ‘follow the mood’ and kiss his best friend. Steve was smarter than that, he knew Tony would never feel the same about him. Steve had already made the mood uncomfortable enough, he did not have to make things worse by confessing his feelings.

“I really don’t understand why you decided that Tony doesn’t feel the same way about you, Rogers.” Natasha stood up, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “But do you really think it's worth risking losing Tony's friendship?”

Steve watched as Natasha left him alone again.

And, as usual, he had the feeling that the redhead was completely right.

 

***

 

“Barton.” Tony almost laughed when he saw Clint's jumping, scared.

Hawkeye turned his head in Tony's direction. The television was tied in a bridal reality show that Tony did not recognize – they all looked the same to him.

“What is it, Stark?” Clint took another bite of his lunch, chewing in a way that was the completely opposite to ‘elegant’.

“Why did you ask about Steve and me?” Tony sat on the couch’s arm, staring at Clint with a serious expression.

Clint glanced back at Tony, his mouth still working on chewing his snack. For a few minutes he seemed really lost. The engineer could not blame him, since the question had been asked weeks ago.

“Curiosity.” Tony thanked for Clint waiting to finish chewing before answering and shrugging.

“Why Steve? Why not, I don’t know, Bruce?”

“Are you and Bruce having sex?”

“No.”

“There it is.” another bite, leaving now only a small piece.

“But neither are Steve and I.”

Clint shrugged and shoved the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. Tony stayed exactly in the same place, just watching the man, waiting for something else. Anything. Either Clint was trying to provoke Tony or he was completely stupid. Hawkeye got up, ready to leave the room and leave Tony alone. But Tony still needed answers.

“Steve tried to kiss me.” The phrase made Clint turn 180 degrees in the same spot, staring at Tony wide-eyed. Great. “So. Why did you ask me that? Did Steve tell you anything?”

“No.”

“Because I think that, in your own bizarre way, you tried to throw me a hint.”

“He didn’t tell me anything, Stark.” Clint seemed to have recovered from the surprise, a wicked smile on his face, shrugging and dismissing the matter. “He told Nat. And I found out.”

“ _What?_ ” Tony said between clenched teeth. How hard was it to get right to the point?

“He tried to kiss you. It can’t be more obvious than that.” With a loud, melodic laugh, Clint finally left the room, leaving only Tony and television.

There was only one problem in this whole story.

If Steve was actually feeling anything more than friendship for Tony... Why had not he kissed Tony? And why was Steve ignoring him?

 

***

 

Steve's throat stuck a scream as he opened the door to his own room and found Tony sitting on his bed playing at his own cell phone. Tony looked up as he heard the door open, staring at Steve, whom stood in the doorway, still trying to figure out what was going on there.

“Tony! How did you get into my room?” Steve finally managed to speak after several minutes, finally entering his own room and closing the door behind him.

“I designed this entire Tower, Steve. And I created JARVIS. The only thing that keeps me from entering the rooms whenever I feel like it is my conscious.”

 _And what happened to it, then?_ It was what Steve wanted to ask, but a voice inside his head said it was best to be cordial. He looked at Tony, who was sitting on his bed, a serious expression turned toward him.

“Did something happen?” Steve looked away.

“Yes. You happened.” Tony finally got up, leaving his cell phone on the mattress and taking two steps toward Steve.

“Me?”

“Bear with me.” two steps more. Steve swallowed dry. A few more steps and Tony would leave him completely cornered. “Barton shows up at my workshop and asks if there's anything going on between you and me. Since then I have been thinking about the concept of ‘we’. And you, as always, are by my side all the time, helping me, listening to me and I honestly don’t even know why. I talk too much. Then you show up and I really feel something between us, and when I'm sure you're going to kiss me, you just don’t. And leave. As if it wasn’t enough, when I try to talk to you, you ignore me. What do you think happened, Steve?”

“I– I don’t–” He didn’t want to stutter because it was pathetic. But Tony was there right in front of him, talking more than Steve could absorb. How could he say anything coherent?

“Why didn’t you kiss me, Steve?” two steps more. Steve was already feeling trapped. He had nowhere to run.

“Did you want me to kiss you?” He had not stuttered this time, but his voice had been nothing more than a whisper. Was he feeling a pain in his chest because his heart was beating too fast? He had to remember how to breathe.

“I _want_ you to kiss me.”

So Steve was the one who took the two remaining steps.

He pulled Tony close to him because that was what he needed. This time without any hesitation or withdrawal. His lips met Tony's without any delicacy. Tony’s beard pinched a little, or tickled, Steve wasn’t sure. Maybe that's why he was laughing. Or maybe it was because he was finally kissing the man he had fallen in love with. Those were good reasons to be smiling to. And when the kiss was over and their faces separated, Steve saw that Tony was smiling too.

“Was it difficult?” and even if Tony tried to sound ironic, his voice was joyful.

“I don’t know. Maybe I should try again.”

“You can kiss me whenever you want, Captain.”

 

***

 

“JARVIS?” Clint asked without looking at any particular point.

“Yes, Mr. Barton?”

“Did Tony go look for Steve?” the second question was asked by Natasha.

“They're both in Captain Rogers's room, Miss Romanoff.”

Clint lifted the palm of his right hand, receiving a fast high-five from Natasha.

Mission Accomplished.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and sorry again about google translate. Also, if you feel like it, please leave a kudo <3


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